Biodegradable and compostable packaging material and package using same

ABSTRACT

A packaging material including a film that is biodegradable and compostable, wherein at least one aperture is formed in the film. The at least one aperture is structured and distributed such that the film controls oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability to such an extent that when the film encompasses a food product that is initially fresh the food product will remain fresh for at least one additional day when compared with the case that the film is replaced by a plastic that is not biodegradable and compostable.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a biodegradable and compostable packaging material and a package that uses a biodegradable and compostable material.

2. Background Information

Packaging and storage of fresh produce, such as fruits, vegetables, flowers and the like fresh food items/articles, have been a challenge for years. Commonly available polymeric films, such as Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polyesters or their laminates have been used in flexible packaging for providing functional requirements, such as transparency, strength, and seal ability. Such films also incorporate different levels of barrier to Oxygen. Controlling the Oxygen content within a package can be critical to the quality of the product displayed and the shelf life of the product. For example, if there is too much Oxygen in the package, the product can dry up and change to an undesirable pink color. If too little Oxygen is within the package, the product balloons up in size and generates an undesirable amount of CO₂ within the package. Thus, for this type of packaging, it is a balancing act to achieve the correct Oxygen level for a particular produce in order to slow respiration of CO₂ within the package by the produce, which leads to slowing the generation of moisture within the package and delays the onset of decay of the produce.

In the United States, it is common to require fresh produce to be able to last at least 14 days. Many methods have been attempted over the years in an attempt to achieve long shelf lives for produce.

One common method for packaging food articles, such as fruits, vegetables, and flowers, in order to extend their shelf life is to use modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). This technique basically involves removing the air within the package containing the food articles and replacing the air with a specific gas mixture, with gases such as CO₂ and N₂. When the specific gas mixture is achieved, the package is hermetically sealed. Such sealing causes the food articles and flowers to go to sleep (slow down their respiration), reduces moisture generation, and slows the decay of the food products. For certain food products, MAP retards discoloration of the food products, such as reducing the occurrence of pinking of lettuce. MAP allows restricted exchange of oxygen, carbon dioxide and other gases to reduce respiration of the fruits, vegetables and the flowers contained in the package. The reduced respiration results in longer shelf life of the stored food articles. Also, the reduced respiration decreases ripening, retards spread of pathogens, inhibit toughening and undesirable change in color, smell and taste of the fruits, vegetables and the flowers. The end result of using MAP is that more food articles will be sold by the retailer, since the retailer will discard less food articles for being of poor quality.

Another method for extending the shelf life of packaged food articles and flowers is to use breathable films and the use of various apertures (micro perforations). Such micro perforations have been used with plastics and polymeric films, which are known not to be biodegradable and compostable. This method relies on reducing respiration by controlling the entry of oxygen into the package and the expulsion of CO₂ out of the package. In addition, a gas, such as Nitrogen, may be injected into the interior of the package to further reduce respiration of the food articles and flowers. While micro perforations have been used in the past, their use has not been fine-tuned so as to improve the shelf life of particular produce being packaged. For example, past micro perforation packaging process have not appreciated that the selection of the packaging material and the choice of micro perforation parameters, such aperture sizes, patterns, and densities, can improve the shelf life of the produce.

Besides the previously mentioned methods, other methods have been attempted to reduce respiration within the package. For example, the products in the package can be subjected to a treatment, such as low temperature exposure and flash treatment of a different atmosphere, like Ozone, or with UV light. Another treatment is 1-MCP which is a fumigant that stops the absorption of ethylene (what ripens fruit and rots vegetables) to reduce the respiration of the plant and also reduces the dehydration of the plant—which in turn stops the release of moisture in a pack or a pallet.

In each of the examples given above, the packages were made of materials, such as polymeric materials, that would eventually need to be disposed of, but were not environmentally friendly for such disposal.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention regards a packaging material including a film that is biodegradable and compostable, wherein at least one aperture is formed in the film. The at least one aperture is structured and distributed such that the film controls oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability to such an extent that when the film encompasses a food product that is initially fresh the food product will remain fresh for at least one additional day when compared with the case that the film is replaced by a plastic that is not biodegradable and compostable.

A second aspect of present invention regards a packaging material including a film that is biodegradable and compostable. The film includes a first film that controls the oxygen permeability and a second film that controls the water vapor permeability. The first film is laminated to the second film via an adhesive that is located between the first film and the second film and adheres the first film to the second film. The film controls oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability to such an extent that when the film encompasses a food product that is initially fresh the food product will remain fresh for at least one additional day when compared with the case that the film is replaced by a plastic that is not biodegradable and compostable.

A third aspect of the present invention regards a food product and a film that is biodegradable and compostable, wherein at least one aperture is formed in the film. The film defines at least part of a space in which the food product is contained. The film controls oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability to such an extent that when the food product is initially fresh and is part of the package, the food product will remain fresh for at least one additional day when compared with the case that the film is replaced by a plastic that is not biodegradable and compostable.

A fourth aspect of the present invention regards a package including a food product and a film that is biodegradable and compostable. The film includes a first film that controls the oxygen permeability and a second film that controls the water vapor permeability. The first film is laminated to the second film via an adhesive that is located between the first film and the second film and adheres the first film to the second film. The film controls oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability to such an extent that when the film encompasses the food product that is initially fresh and part of the package, the food product will remain fresh for at least one additional day when compared with the case that the film is replaced by a plastic that is not biodegradable and compostable.

A fifth aspect of the present invention regards a method of manufacturing a packaging material. The method includes applying a first film that controls oxygen permeability to a second film that controls water vapor permeability so as to define a composite film. The method further includes forming at least one aperture in the composite film to such an extent that when the composite film encompasses a food product that is initially fresh the food product will remain fresh for at least one additional day when compared with the case that the film is replaced by a plastic that is not biodegradable and compostable.

One or more aspects of the present invention provide the advantage of improved shelf life for food products packaged within biodegradable materials.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification, and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain features of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 schematically shows a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a packaging material according to the present invention;

FIG. 2A schematically shows part of an embodiment of a packaging system that performs the process of forming a package that contains an item that regards forming a film of the package according to the present invention;

FIG. 2B schematically shows an embodiment of a packaging system that performs a second part of the process of forming a package that contains an item that regards forming perforations in the film according to the present invention;

FIG. 2C schematically shows an embodiment of a packaging system that performs a third part of the process of forming a package that contains an item that regards forming a package from the perforated film per the process shown in FIG. 2B and inserting the item within the package according to the present invention;

FIG. 2D schematically shows an embodiment of a packaging system that performs an alternative third part of the process of forming a package that contains an item that regards forming a package from the perforated film per the process shown in FIG. 2B and inserting the item within the package according to the present invention;

FIG. 3A schematically shows the respiration process of produce with a known package with micro perforations;

FIG. 3B schematically shows the respiration process of produce with a package with micro perforations in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 4A schematically shows a top view of the packaging material of FIG. 1 when a first embodiment of an aperture pattern is employed according to the present invention;

FIG. 4B schematically shows a top view of the packaging material of FIG. 1 when a second embodiment of an aperture pattern is employed according to the present invention;

FIG. 4C schematically shows a top view of the packaging material of FIG. 1 when a third embodiment of an aperture pattern is employed according to the present invention;

FIG. 5A shows a front view of a first embodiment of a configuration of the packaging material of FIG. 1 according to the present invention;

FIG. 5B shows a rear view of the configuration of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 5C shows a front view of an embodiment of a package using the configuration of the packaging material of FIGS. 5A-5B;

FIG. 5D shows a rear view of the package of FIG. 5C;

FIG. 6A shows a front view of a second embodiment of a package that employs the packaging material of FIG. 1 according to the present invention;

FIG. 6B shows a side view of an embodiment of a tray used with the package of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 6C shows a top view of the tray of FIG. 6B;

FIG. 6D schematically shows a side cross-sectional view of the package of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 6E shows the front view of the package of FIG. 6A when the food product and the graphics have been removed; and

FIG. 6F shows a side view of the package of FIG. 6A when the food product and the graphics have been removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 schematically show a packaging material 100 for use in manufacturing a container structure that protects an item from the environment. In particular, the packaging material 100 includes a film 102 that is transparent, biodegradable, and compostable. The film 102 has a layered structure that includes a biodegradable and compostable film 104 that is made of cellulose and controls moisture content within the package, and a biodegradable and compostable film 108 that is made of biofoil/biofilm and controls the oxygen permeability. When the film 102 is formed into a configuration that defines an interior volume of space to contain a product, film 104 faces the interior volume of space and film 108 forms an exterior surface of the configuration.

The film 104 is a sheet of cellulose that has a thickness that ranges from 19μ to 20μ. The film 104 is available commercially under the trademark NatureFlex™ and is sold by Futamura of Nakamura, Japan. The film 104 is based on renewable resources, such as wood pulp.

As shown in FIG. 1, the film 102 includes a biodegradable and compostable film 108 that is made of cellulose, is semi-permeable to moisture, and controls the water vapor permeability.

The film 104 is transparent, heat sealable and printable on both sides, and has high material strength. A summary of certain other properties of film 104 is given below:

Testing Properties Condition Value 1 Value 2 Value 3 Cellulose 23μ 30μ 45μ Grammage 33.5 g/m² 43 g/m² 64 g/m² Yield 29.9 m²/kg 23.3 m²/kg 15.5 m²/kg Tensile MD 125N/mm² 125N/mm² 125N/mm² Strength TD  70N/mm²  70N/mm²  70N/mm² Seal Strength 135° C.; 0.5 s 200 g/25 mm 200 g/25 mm 200 g/25 mm Water Vapor  38° C.-90% . 600 g/m² 600 g/m² 600 g/m² Permeability R.H 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs  25° C.-75% 200 g/m² 200 g/m² 200 g/m² R.H. 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs Oxygen  23° C.-0% 1.0 cc/m² 1.0 cc/m² 1.0 cc/m² Permeability R.H. 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs  23° C.-50% 5.0 cc/m² 5.0 cc/m² 5.0 cc/m² R.H. 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs

As shown in FIG. 1, the film 108 is a sheet that has a thickness that ranges from 19μ to 20μ. The film 108 is transparent, heat sealable and printable on both sides, and has good anti-fogging properties. The film 108 has anti-static properties, controlled slip characteristics, and is resistant to oils and greases. A summary of certain properties of film 108 is given below:

Properties Testing Condition Value 1 Value 2 Value 3 Value 4 BIOFOIL 20μ 30μ 40μ 50μ Grammage 24.63 g/m² 43.10 g/m² 49.26 g/m² 61.35 g/m² Yield 40.6 m²/kg 23.20 m²/kg 20.3 m²/kg 16.3 m²/kg Tensile MD 20-35N/mm² 20-35N/mm² 20-35N/mm² 20-35N/mm² Strength TD 10-20N/mm² 10-20N/mm² 10-20N/mm² 10-20N/mm² Seal Strength 135° C.; 0.5 s >12 g/25 mm >16 g/25 mm >18 g/25 mm >18 g/25 mm Sealing range 135° C.; 0.5 s 80-120° C. 80-120° C. 80-120° C. 80-120° C. Water Vapor  38° C.-90% 760 g/m² 640 g/m² 550 g/m² 475 g/m² Permeability R.H. 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs Oxygen  23° C.-0% 2060 cc/m² 2060 cc/m² 1065 cc/m² 2060 cc/m² Permeability R.H. 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs 24 hrs After the film 108 has been printed, the film 104 is laminated to film 108 via a layer of adhesive 106 that is located between the films 104 and 108 as shown in FIG. 1. Lamination can be performed in a number of different ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, lamination can be performed by a laminator that includes a Nordmeccanica Combi Linear in tandem with a Nordmeccanica Super Combi 3000.

The layer of adhesive 106 is dispersed evenly between films 104 and 108 to cover both sides of the films facing the layer of adhesive 106. Such dispersion can be performed by equipment that prints a specific amount of the adhesive 106 at a specific thickness, such as ink roller. The layer of adhesive 106 adheres the film 104 to film 108. The layer of adhesive 106 has a thickness of approximately 3μ. The layer of adhesive 106 is a complex starch and is biodegradable and compostable.

Once the layer of adhesive 106 is applied to both films 104 and 108, the laminated layers are cured via storage at a specific temperature for more than 48 hours. The layer of adhesive 106 has the property that after the curing process is completed, the overall film 102 is transparent.

FIGS. 2A-C schematically show one possible way to produce packages of stored items on a commercial scale. As shown in FIG. 2A, a roll 202 of a sheet 204 of film 104 and a roll 206 of a sheet 208 of film 108 are provided. The sheets 204 and 208 are fed in a well-known manner so that they face each other. Once the sheets 204 and 208 face each other, the layer of adhesive 106 is applied to the sides of the sheets 204 and 208 facing each other. The sheets 204 and 208 are pressed and laminated by rollers 209 when the adhesive 106 is applied so that a single sheet 210 of laminated film 102 is formed and which is rolled up as roll 212. Note that the process of having two rolls of sheets laminated together by an adhesive and stored as a single roll is known in general. Regarding the particular process of FIG. 2A, the process should be performed at a constant temperature that has a value that ranges from 36° F. to 65° F.

As mentioned previously, the roll 212 of film 102 formed per the process described previously with respect to FIG. 2A is cured for over 48 hours at a constant temperature that ranges from 36° F. to 65° F. After the roll 212 of film 102 is cured, it is then taken to a perforation station 214 as schematically shown in FIG. 2B. At the perforation station 214, the sheet 210 of the roll 212 is fed past a laser perforation apparatus 216 at which micro perforations are formed in the sheet 210. Prior to the sheet 210 being processed by the laser perforation apparatus 216, the operator of apparatus 216 inputs desired parameters of the micro perforations to be formed. Such parameters include the size of the micro perforations, the density/spacing of the micro perforations, and the pattern of the micro perforations. As will be discussed later, the parameters chosen depend on the item(s) being packaged as well as the amount of the item(s) being packaged. The laser perforation apparatus 216 used in the process can be the laser perforator known by the tradename of Preco 4-HSP200/2.

After the micro perforations are formed in the sheet 210, the perforated sheet 210 is stored on a roll 218. The formation of the micro perforations is preferably performed at the temperature that ranges from 36° F. to 65° F. After the micro perforations are formed and stored on the roll 218, the roll 218 is stored at a temperature ranging from 36° F. to 65° F. for a period of time that ranges from 48 hours to 2 weeks.

Once roll 218 is cured, it can be used for the packaging of items, such as food products. As shown schematically in FIG. 2C, the sheet 220 of roll 218 can be formed in the form of a continuous tube 222 by a well-known bag forming apparatus 221 that has seals 223 formed perpendicular to the length of the tube 222, wherein the food products associated with the micro perforations present are inserted into the tube and sealed up in a well-known manner. The formed packages are then separated and prepared for shipping to various locations.

While the embodiment of the film 102 described above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2A-D regards forming perforation(s) that extend completely through films 104, 106, and 108 to control respiration through the film 102, it is envisioned that other variations to control respiration are possible. For example, it is envisioned that the perforations are formed in only one of the films, such as film 104. Such perforations would extend through the complete thickness of the one layer. In another variation, fine tuning of the respiration accomplished by perforation(s) extending completely through all or just one of the films 104, 106, and 108 can be accomplished by applying an adhesive label over one or more of such perforation(s) on the exposed surfaces of films 108 and 104. The label could be placed on the surface of film 104 facing the interior of the package or the label could be placed on the exterior surface of film 108 facing away from the interior. By varying the thickness of the adhesive portion of the label, respiration can be fine-tuned. Increasing the thickness of the adhesive would decrease respiration and decreasing the thickness would increase respiration. Selecting a particular thickness for the label's adhesive can accomplish a particular respiration. Note that the above-mentioned perforations and labels can be used with the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3A-6F. Also, combinations of perforations that extend fully through the film 102 and perforations that extend partially through the same film 102 with or without a label is possible.

An individual configuration of the film 102 formed into a container 115 by this process is shown in FIGS. 5A-5B. In essence, the configuration is in the form of a resealable bag. When the configuration does not contain a food product, it is rectangular in shape having a front, rectangular surface 130. As shown in FIG. 5A, the front surface 130 has a bottom edge 132, a left side edge 134, a right side edge 136, and a top edge 138. The dimensions of the edges can have a variety of values depending on the quantity of food product to be contained within the bag. Possible dimensions for edges 132, 134, 136, and 138 are 9 inches, 11¼ inches, 11¼ inches, and 9 inches, respectively. The edges 132, 134, and 136 are integral with a bottom edge 142, a right side edge 144, and a left side edge 146, respectively, of a rear, rectangular surface 140 of the container 115, which are shown in FIG. 5B. The rear surface 140 has the same dimensions as the front surface 130.

The top edge 148 of the rear surface 140 is integrally attached to the top edge 138 of the front surface 130. The top edge 148 and top edge 138 define an opening for the configuration. In particular, a tear away portion is defined by the edges 138 and 148 that can be torn off entirely going from the left edge to the right edge of the package. Once the tear away portion is removed, it reveals an opening defined by the edges 138 and 148. In another embodiment, it is envisioned that the edges 138 and 148 are removably attached to one another. Such removable attachment can have various forms, such as 1) an adhesive attachment between the edges 138, 148, and a 2) a male/female attachment between the edges 138 and 148, such as the attachment used for the bag sold under the Ziploc trademark. In the case of the removable attachment between edges 138 and 148, the removable attachment is preferably biodegradable and compostable.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the front surface 130 does not have perforations. In contrast, rear surface 140, as shown in FIG. 5B has one or more perforations 110 when the configuration contains a food product. Note that other shapes for the perforations 110 shown in the drawings throughout the present application can be used. Also, the sizes of the perforations 110 shown in the drawings throughout the present application are not to scale. The number of perforations depends on the size of the container 115 including the product and the amount of the product to be contained within the container 115. Note that the combination of the container 115 and the food product contained therein are defined to be a package 116. In the case the product is lettuce, the size of the edges 142, 144, 146, and 148 of the rear surface 140 are 9 inches, 11¼ inches, 11¼ inches, and 9 inches, respectively. In this embodiment, there is a single perforation 110 on the rear surface 140, wherein the perforation 110 is spaced 6¾ inches from the bottom edge 142, 41 inches from the top edge 148, and 31 inches from the left side edge 146 of the rear surface 140. Such a perforation provides for improved quality of product and storage like as discussed subsequently. An example of a container 115 containing a food product, such as lettuce, is shown in FIGS. 5C-D.

It should be noted that for the embodiment described above, the size and shape of the front surface 130 and the rear surface 140 can be altered without departing from the spirit of the invention. Similarly, the number and position of the perforations can be varied so as to provide sufficient respiration kinetics to provide improved shelf life for the food products within the container 115 and to reduce the likelihood of discoloration of the food products. A discussion of respiration kinetics is provided later in the present description. A way to improve respiration kinetics is to position the perforation(s) so that the food products do not block the perforations and hinder the transfer of gasses through the perforations(s). One other variation should be pointed out as well. In particular, while the described embodiment has a perforation formed in the rear surface 140 of the container 115, sufficient respiration kinetics can be achieved by having the perforation formed on the front surface 130 instead.

FIG. 2D schematically shows an alternative package to be formed after the processes described with respect to FIGS. 2A-B are performed. In this scenario, a biodegradable tray 224 has the food products 120 inserted within the tray. Then, a portion of the sheet 220 is placed over the food item and attached to the top edges of the tray in a well-known manner. As an alternative, the sheet 220 is wrapped all the way around the tray in a process known as blow wrapping. The package 116 formed is described in more detail hereafter.

Another way to package a food product 120 located within a tray 224 is shown in FIGS. 6A-F. In particular, a container 115 in the form of a bag similarly described with respect to FIGS. 5A-5D is used to have the tray 224 and food product 120 contained within the interior of the container 115. One difference between the packages of FIGS. 2D and 6A-F, and FIGS. 5A-5D is that the perforations 110 for the packages of FIGS. 2D, 6A, and 6D-F are formed on the front surface 130 that directly faces the food product 120. In addition, the number of perforations may be different based on the size of the container 115 and the product 120 contained in the container 115.

Many shapes for the tray 224 are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. An example of a tray 224 to be inserted in the containers of FIGS. 6A and 6D-F is shown in FIGS. 6B-C, which has a rectangular base 226 having dimensions of 5 inches by 31 inches. Integrally attached to the base are identically sized front and rear walls 228, 230 having a height of 3½ inches as measured to a plane containing the base 226. Similarly, identically sized side walls 232, 234 are integrally attached to the base 226 and front and rear walls 228, 230, wherein the side walls 232, 234 have the same height as the front and rear walls 228, 230. The top rim defined by the walls 228, 230, 232, and 234 defines a rectangular opening having a width of 5¼ inches and a length of 6⅝ inches. The free ends of walls 228, 230, 232, and 234 define rims 236, 238, 240, and 242, respectively. The tray 224 defines a volume of space into which a food product, such as a salad, is inserted. In this example, the front surface 130 of the container 115 can have edges 132, 134, 136, and 138 with dimensions of 6¾ inches, 9¾ inches, 9¾ inches, and 6¾ inches, respectively. In the example of when the food product includes a salad as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6D, there is one aperture 110 (circle not to scale) formed on the front surface 130 that is positioned 2 inches from the rim 236 of the front wall 228 of the tray 224 and is positioned 2 inches from the rim 242 of the side wall 234 of the tray 224. As with the container 115 described with respect to FIGS. 5A-5D, the perforation(s) of the container 115 containing the tray 224 are positioned so as not to be blocked by the food product within the container 115 and positioned on the tray 224. Furthermore, the number and position of the perforations can be varied so as to provide sufficient respiration kinetics to provide improved shelf life for the food products within the container 115 and to reduce the likelihood of discoloration of the food products.

When the three layers 104, 106, 108 are laminated together to form film 102, the film 102 as a whole exhibits a number of properties, such as having high barrier properties, which include forming an excellent barrier to moisture, gases, and aromas. The film 102 provides improved stiffness when stored in refrigerated cabinets and a controlled level of moisture permeability. The film 102 is also resistant to oils and grease. Other properties of film 102 are given in the following table:

Testing Properties Condition Value Grammage 55.63 g/m² Yield 17.98 m²/kg Seal Strength >12N/25 mm MD@100° C. Sealing 80-120° C. 1 sec Temperature Range Water Vapor 38° C.-90% R.H. 20 g/m² 24 hrs Permeability Oxygen 38° C.-90% R.H. 20 g/m² 24 hrs Permeability

In order to increase the shelf life of products contained at least in part by the film 102, apertures 110 are formed in the film 102. To determine the distribution and sizes of apertures to be formed, it is helpful to know the level of respiration of the produce to be contained at least in part by the film 102. UC Davis post-harvest work in MAP produce has uncovered that most produce items have a predictable level of respiration, which needs to be considered for proper packaging and to increase shelf life and control breakdown or rot of the produce. There are at least four different factors that play into how to control the breakdown or rot of produce in a package, such factors are given below:

-   -   Temperature control—controlling the temperature of the produce         from harvest to cooling, to processing, to washing, to packing.     -   Growing area—meaning lettuce will react differently (slightly)         during longer days or shorter days. In some cases, lettuce that         grows slower has more resilience to processing and bagging.     -   Weather—weather plays a huge role in helping plants grow         successfully to a usable crop for processing. For example, too         much heat, rain, wind and chill will predict many attributes of         a lettuce product to be used in a salad.     -   Harvest—there are many key points around the harvesting of the         produce that control breakdown or rot. For example:         -   Time of day—many crops in the desert of Yuma must be             harvested in hours before the heat of the day hits. While             harvesting can be at almost any time of the day, cut             vegetables need to be taken in a plastic bin or tote or even             a carton back to a cooler where it can be cooled to the             appropriate temps for storage, loading, shipping and             eventually distributed to food service or retailers.         -   Type of harvest—spring mix and other automated crops are             subject to lots of dehydration issues, which can cause the             harvested lettuce to fail before they can be cooled. In             other cases, lettuce has to be shipped up to 60 miles from             the harvest location to a processing plant to be made into             salads.

Apertures can be formed by a number of processes that can maximize control of the size and location of the apertures. Such processes include:

-   -   a. Laser Perforation—a very exacting process and driven by a         computer to fire a laser on to the film at a rate that         guarantees that the film has the right amount of holes and the         right size and that the holes are completely through the film.         This process is built to certain sizes of holes—50 microns to a         maximum of 150 microns. This process has been in use since the         early 1990′s. In this process, the film has been made of a         plastic that was not biodegradable.     -   b. Hot Needle Perforation—This process has the film again run         over rollers, which have a specific distribution of needles         positioned thereon, wherein the needles are heated to allow the         film to be punctured and will not allow the newly punctured         holes to “heal” or cover over as the film is continuously         rolled. This process is for larger holes, which usually run in a         pattern on the bottom or sides of the bag or film as it is         formed on a vertical form fill and seal sealing equipment. This         process is for very high respiring products, such as large bags         of brassicas, spinach, kales.     -   c. Slitting Film—In this process, the film is run over sets of         very sharp blades to slit smaller “lines” or controlled         tearing/cutting of the film to form a gap. One of the issues         with this process is there is no way to have a high degree of         control of the cuts. While the location of the cuts can be         controlled, there is no assurance that the cuts will remain open         during shipment of the produce products. This means that the         packages may or may not receive too much cooling or transference         of O₂, which usually means that the products packed in slit film         packaging must have a hard shell or be very slow to dehydrate         when in direct contact with cold, fast moving air. Most tubers         can use slits in their packaging film, since they do not         dehydrate quickly—having come directly out of the ground.

To understand how the present invention is an improvement over the laser perforation packages of the past, revisiting the environment of such a package is beneficial. FIG. 3A schematically shows a perforated sheet/film of material 300 that is used to package produce 302 that is within the interior 304 of the package. One interior surface 306 of the material 300 faces the interior 304 of the package while an oppositely facing exterior surface 308 of the material 300 faces the exterior atmosphere 310. The material 300 has micro apertures 312 and is made of a non-biodegradable plastic as described previously.

It has been found that controlling the respiration rate of the produce can lead to increased shelf life. For such increased shelf life, it is desired to have increased levels of CO₂ and decreased levels of O₂ within the interior 304 of the package. However, if the level of O₂ becomes too low then unwanted tastes and odors can result. If the level of CO₂ becomes too high, then some produce may be damaged. Accordingly, it is desired to control the respiration rate of the produce so that the ideal mixture of O₂ and CO₂ can be maintained within the package. This has been attempted in the past by cooling the produce within the package prior to being shipped out to a temperature of approximately 36° F. in order to induce the produce 302 to be in a “sleep” state. For certain produce, such as lettuce, nitrogen is introduced into the interior in order to delay discoloration of the produce, such as delaying pinking of lettuce. While in the sleep state, the produce is taking in O₂ and producing CO₂. O₂ enters into the package and CO₂ leaves the package via the micro apertures 312. By having the produce in the sleep state, its respiration rate can be controlled to such an extent that the amount of O₂ and CO₂ within the package is such as to lead to improved shelf life for the produce.

When the package is shipped, the temperature within the package increases over time. Such an increase in temperature results in the produce waking up and generating more CO₂ which goes beyond the desired amount of CO₂ to increase shelf life. So, it is desired to allow some of the excess CO₂ to leave via the micro apertures 312. However, it is not desired that too much CO₂ leaves the package. With that said, prior packages that used nonbiodegradable plastic with micro apertures 312 allowed three CO₂ to leave the package for every one O₂ that enters the package. Such a 3 to 1 ratio is too large for controlling the respiration rate to optimize shelf life.

The present invention has found a way to fine tune the use of a biodegradable film with micro apertures 110 so as to achieve a 1 to 1 ratio of CO₂ leaving the package and O₂ entering the package (see FIG. 3B), which leads to improved shelf life for the produce. The biodegradable film without apertures leads to improved shelf-like since it provides an improved balance between transmission and retention of gases and moisture within the package. When apertures 110 are formed in the film, further improvement in shelf life is achieved. The apertures 110 extend through the total thickness of the film 102 so that oxygen and water vapor can flow through the film 102 from the exposed side of film 104 to the exposed side of film 108. As mentioned previously, the apertures 110 can also be formed through only one of the films 104, 106, and 108. In addition, labels as described previously can be used to fine tune respiration for films 102 that have apertures that extend through all of the films 104, 106, and 108 or just one of the films 104, 106, and 108. With the above said, parameters of the apertures 110 are adjusted depending on the product to be contained in the film 102 so that the apertures contribute to the film 102 controlling oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability in the space containing the product. Such control, leads to the expulsion of CO₂ within the space containing the product and so leads to increased shelf life of the product. In the case of the product being a food product, such control of oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability will result in the food product having increased shelf life when contained by the film 102.

Among the parameters for the apertures that contribute to the control of oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability are: 1) size of each aperture 110, such as diameter of aperture when the aperture is in the shape of a circular hole; 2) the number of apertures 110 per package; and 3) the pattern of the apertures 110 placed on the exterior surfaces of the film 102. In the case of a circular shape for each aperture 110, the diameter can vary from 50 μm to 150 μm.

Examples of aperture parameters that can be used for certain food products are given in the table below:

Amount of Improved Shelf Life when Compared with non- biodegradable plastic with an identical Food product Shape and Number of number of and package- size of an Apertures per Pattern of micro type Aperture package Apertures Shelf Life apertures Lettuce Circular—50 1-3 Linear and 14 days 1-2 days items—lettuce μm-100 μm parallel to alone or in side edge of combination film (aperture with other every 2.5- vegetables 3.5″)—FIG. contained in 4A bag Cabbage Circular—50 1-2 Linear 16 days 2 days items μm-100 μm parallel to contained in side edge of a bag film (aperture every ½″— FIG. 4B Spinach Circular— 30-50 Two linear 15 days 1 day contained in 150 μm- rows, one a bag 200 μm parallel to bottom edge and other parallel to top edge (aperture every ¾″)— FIG. 4C (15- 25 apertures for one of the linear rows and an identical 15- 25 apertures for the other linear row) Lettuce alone Circular— 1-3 Linear 15 1-3 or in 50 μm-100 parallel to combination μm side edge of with film— vegetables on a tray that is sealed by a film Cabbage on a Circular— 2-5 Linear 18-21 4-9 tray that is 50 μm-100 parallel to sealed by a μm side edge of film film— Spinach on a Circular— 20-30 Linear 16-18 4-6 tray that is 150 μm-200 parallel to sealed by a μm side edge of film film—

Note that the shelf life data in the table is measured from the time a fresh food product is initially placed in a container made of the film 102 to the time the food product becomes stale while in the container made of the film 102.

FIG. 4A schematically shows a possible pattern to be used when the food product associated with the package is lettuce items, such as lettuce alone or lettuce in combination with vegetables. As shown, the pattern regards 1-3 apertures in the shape of circular holes 110 of equal size that are aligned parallel with a side edge 112 of the film 102. For the examples of FIGS. 4A-C, the number of apertures formed in the film 102 is determined by the amount of food product within the package, the levels of O₂ and CO₂ transferred into and out of the package, and the level of backflush of N₂. In the case of romaine and iceberg lettuce blends, the interior of the package is back flushed with nitrogen so that the atmosphere within the package is down to 2% oxygen and has at least 96% nitrogen to allow for maximum “non-pinking” of the two lettuce ingredients. Cilantro, green onion along with various cabbage shreds can be introduced with the two lettuce ingredients. In this situation, cilantro and green onions have radically higher respiration than lettuces and need more transfer of CO₂ than many produce items. The number of holes, size of holes, and patterns of holes need to be chosen to maximize the appearance of the blend present in the package.

FIG. 4B schematically shows a possible pattern to be used when the food product associated with the package is cabbage items. As shown, the pattern regards one to two apertures in the shape of circular holes 110 of equal size that are aligned parallel with a side edge 112 of the film 102.

FIG. 4C schematically shows a possible pattern to be used when the food product associated with the package is Spinach. As shown, the pattern regards ten to twenty apertures in the shape of circular holes 110 of equal size that are formed in two rows of five to ten holes 110 that are aligned parallel with each other, a top edge 113, and a bottom edge 114 of the film 102. As shown, the pattern can also be described as five rows of two holes 110 that are aligned parallel with each other and the side edge 112.

With the apertured film 102 formed as previously described with respect to FIGS. 5A-D, the apertured film 102 is manufactured to be part of a package. As shown in FIGS. 6A-D, the package 116 includes a tray 224 that defines an interior into which one or more food products 120 are inserted. Examples of food products that can be inserted in the tray 224 and be part of the package 116 are: vegetables, fruits, meat, and seafood. The film 102 envelopes the entirety of the tray 224 so that the food products 120 are present within a space defined by the interior of the tray 224 and the top portion 130 of the film 102. As shown in FIG. 6B, the tray 224 has four identical angled walls 228, 230, 232, and 234 that are integrally attached to one another and a rectangular base 226 upon which the food products are supported. It is envisioned that the tray 224 will support 6.5-7.5 ounces of produce. The tray 224 is made of a biodegradable and compostable material, such as porous wood. The use of porous wood provides the advantage of absorbing excess moisture within the package. An example of a tray 224 that can be used is the tray made under the tradename of EC350 manufactured by CKE in Toronto and Nova Scotia in Canada. Other shapes for the tray 118 are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

To arrive at the packages 116 of FIGS. 6A-F, the food products 120 are placed on the top surface of the base of the tray 224 and within the interior of the tray 224. Next, the tray 224 and the food products 120 are inserted into the bag configuration described previously with respect to FIGS. 2A-2C and 5A-D and then sealed into the package 116. Later, the packages 116 are separated from one another and shipped for use by consumers.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. For example, the package could include non-food items. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 

1. (canceled)
 2. (canceled)
 3. The packaging material of claim 8, wherein each of the at least one aperture has a diameter that ranges from 50 μm to 200 μm.
 4. The packaging material of claim 8, wherein the at least one aperture are a plurality of apertures formed in a pattern of a straight line.
 5. The packaging material of claim 8, wherein the at least one aperture has a shape of a circular hole.
 6. The packaging material of claim 3, wherein the at least one aperture are a plurality of apertures formed in a pattern of a straight line.
 7. The packaging material of claim 56, wherein the initially fresh food product will remain fresh for two additional days.
 8. A packaging material comprising: a transparent film that is compostable, wherein at least one aperture is formed in the film such that the film controls oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability wherein the film comprises: a first film that controls the oxygen permeability; a second film that controls the water vapor permeability, wherein the first film is laminated to the second film via an adhesive that is located between the first film and the second film and adheres the first film to the second film.
 9. The packaging material of claim 8, wherein the first film is transparent, the second film is transparent, and wherein the adhesive allows for the film to be transparent.
 10. (canceled)
 11. The packaging material of claim 8, wherein the film controls the amount of CO₂ to flow through the at least one aperture in a first direction to be approximately equal to the amount of O₂ flowing through the at least one aperture in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
 12. (canceled)
 13. The packaging material of claim 15, wherein the first film is transparent, the second film is transparent, and wherein the adhesive allows for the film to be transparent
 14. (canceled)
 15. A packaging material comprising: a transparent film that is compostable, wherein the film comprises: a first film that controls the oxygen permeability; a second film that controls the water vapor permeability, wherein the first film is laminated to the second film via an adhesive that is located between the first film and the second film and adheres the first film to the second film; wherein the film controls oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability wherein at least one aperture is formed in the film and which contributes to the controlling of oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability.
 16. The packaging material of claim 57, wherein when the initially fresh food product is selected from the group consisting of lettuce, cabbage, and spinach, the initially fresh food product will remain fresh for an additional one to two days.
 17. (canceled)
 18. The packaging material of claim 15, wherein the film controls the amount of CO₂ to flow through the at least one aperture in a first direction to be approximately equal to the amount of O₂ flowing through the at least one aperture in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
 19. A package comprising: a food product; and a film that is compostable, wherein at least one aperture is formed in the film; wherein the film defines at least part of a space in which the food product is contained, wherein the film controls oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability to such an extent that when the food product is initially fresh and is part of the package, the food product will remain fresh for at least one additional day when compared with the case that the film is replaced by a plastic that is not compostable.
 20. The package of claim 19, wherein the film is transparent.
 21. The package of claim 19, wherein each of the at least one aperture has a diameter that ranges from 50 μm to 200 μm.
 22. The package of claim 19, wherein there are at most 50 apertures formed in the film.
 23. The package of claim 19, wherein the at least one aperture are a plurality of apertures formed in a pattern of a straight line.
 24. The package of claim 19, wherein the at least one aperture are a plurality of apertures formed in a pattern of two straight lines that are parallel to one another.
 25. The package of claim 19, wherein each of the at least one aperture has a shape of a circular hole.
 26. The package of claim 19, wherein when the initially fresh food product is selected from the group consisting of lettuce, cabbage, and spinach, the initially fresh food product will remain fresh for an additional one to two days.
 27. The package of claim 19, wherein an atmosphere within the space comprises at least 96% N₂.
 28. The package of claim 19, wherein the film controls the amount of CO₂ flow from the space and through the at least one aperture in a first direction to be approximately equal to the amount of O₂ flowing through the at least one aperture in a second direction opposite to the first direction and into the space.
 29. The package of claim 27, wherein the film controls the amount of CO₂ flow from the space and through the at least one aperture in a first direction to be approximately equal to the amount of O₂ flowing through the at least one aperture in a second direction opposite to the first direction and into the space.
 30. The package of claim 19, wherein the film comprises: a first film that controls the oxygen permeability; a second film that controls the water vapor permeability, wherein the first film is laminated to the second film via an adhesive that is located between the first film and the second film and adheres the first film to the second film.
 31. The package of claim 30, wherein the first film is transparent, the second film is transparent, and wherein the adhesive allows for the film to be transparent.
 32. The package of claim 19, wherein the food product is selected from the group consisting of cabbage and spinach and wherein each of the apertures have a diameter of from 50 μm to 200 μm, the at least one aperture are a plurality of apertures formed in a pattern comprising a straight line, and the initially food product that is part of the package will remain fresh for up to two additional days.
 33. The package of claim 30, further comprising a tray upon which the food product is supported and which the film contacts, wherein the tray and the film define in part the space.
 34. The package of claim 33, wherein an atmosphere within the space comprises at least 96% N₂.
 35. The package of claim 33, wherein the film controls the amount of CO₂ flow from the space and through the at least one aperture in a first direction to be approximately equal to the amount of O₂ flowing through the at least one aperture in a second direction opposite to the first direction and into the space.
 36. The package of claim 33, wherein the tray is compostable.
 37. The package of claim 36, wherein when the initially fresh food product is selected from the group consisting of lettuce, cabbage and spinach, the initially fresh food product will remain fresh for an additional one to nine days.
 38. The package of claim 36, wherein the film controls the amount of CO₂ flow from the space and through the at least one aperture in a first direction to be approximately equal to the amount of O₂ flowing through the at least one aperture in a second direction opposite to the first direction and into the space.
 39. (canceled)
 40. The package of claim 44, wherein the first film is transparent, the second film is transparent, and wherein the adhesive allows for the film to be transparent.
 41. (canceled)
 42. The package of claim 44, wherein when the initially fresh food product is selected from the group consisting of lettuce, cabbage, and spinach, the initially fresh food product will remain fresh for an additional one to two days.
 43. The package of claim 44, wherein an atmosphere within a space defined by the film and containing the food product comprises at least 96% N₂.
 44. A package comprising: a food product, and a transparent film that is compostable, wherein the film comprises: a first film that controls the oxygen permeability; a second film that controls the water vapor permeability, wherein the first film is laminated to the second film via an adhesive that is located between the first film and the second film and adheres the first film to the second film; wherein the film controls oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability, wherein at least one aperture is formed in the film and which contributes to the controlling of oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability.
 45. The package of claim 44, wherein the film controls the amount of CO₂ flow from a space, defined by the film and containing the food product, and through the at least one aperture in a first direction to be approximately equal to the amount of 02 flowing through the at least one aperture in a second direction opposite to the first direction and into the space.
 46. The package of claim 44, wherein the food product is selected from the group consisting of cabbage and spinach and wherein each of the at least one aperture has a diameter of from 50 μm to 200 μm, wherein the at least one aperture comprises a plurality of apertures formed in a pattern comprising a straight line, and the initially food product that is part of the package will remain fresh for up to two additional days.
 47. The package of claim 44, further comprising a tray upon which the food product is supported and which the film contacts, wherein the tray and the film define in part a space in which the food product is contained.
 48. The package of claim 47, wherein the tray is compostable.
 49. The package of claim 48, wherein when the initially fresh food product is selected from the group consisting of lettuce, cabbage and spinach, the initially fresh food product will remain fresh for an additional one to nine days.
 50. The package of claim 48, wherein the film controls the amount of CO₂ flow from the space and through the film in a first direction to be approximately equal to the amount of O₂ flowing through the film in a second direction opposite to the first direction and into the space.
 51. A method of manufacturing a packaging material, the method comprising: applying a first film that controls oxygen permeability to a second film that controls water vapor permeability so as to define a transparent composite film that is compostable; and forming at least one aperture in the composite film.
 52. (canceled)
 53. The method of claim 51, wherein the applying comprises laminating the first film to the second film via an adhesive that is located between the first film and the second film and adheres the first film to the second film.
 54. The method of claim 51, wherein the first film is transparent, the second film is transparent, and wherein the adhesive allows for the composite film to be transparent.
 55. The method of claim 51, wherein the composite film controls the amount of CO₂ to flow through the at least one aperture in a first direction to be approximately equal to the amount of O₂ flowing through the at least one aperture in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
 56. The packaging material of claim 8, wherein the at least one aperture is formed in the transparent film such that the transparent film controls oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability to such an extent that when the transparent film encompasses a food product that is initially fresh the food product will remain fresh for at least one additional day when compared with the case that the transparent film is replaced by a plastic that is not compostable.
 57. The packaging material of claim 8, wherein the transparent film is biodegradable.
 58. The packaging material of claim 15, wherein the at least one aperture is formed in the transparent film such that the transparent film controls oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability to such an extent that when the transparent film encompasses a food product that is initially fresh the food product will remain fresh for at least one additional day when compared with the case that the transparent film is replaced by a plastic that is not biodegradable and compostable.
 59. The packaging material of claim 15, wherein the transparent film is biodegradable.
 60. The package of claim 19, wherein the film is biodegradable.
 61. The package of claim 44, wherein the transparent film controls oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability to such an extent that when the transparent film encompasses the food product that is initially fresh and part of the package, the food product will remain fresh for at least one additional day when compared with the case that the transparent film is replaced by a plastic that is not biodegradable and compostable.
 62. The package of claim 44, wherein the transparent film is biodegradable.
 63. The method of claim 51, wherein the forming at least one aperture in the transparent composite film is done to such an extent that when the transparent composite film encompasses a food product that is initially fresh the food product will remain fresh for at least one additional day when compared with the case that the transparent composite film is replaced by a plastic that is not compostable.
 64. The method of claim 51, wherein the transparent composite film is biodegradable. 